It’s a dark time to support a football team in Genoa. SusyCampanale considers the possibility of a Serie B Derby dellaLanterna next season.

The Stadio Luigi Ferraris feels like a football morgue at the moment, as Genoa and Sampdoria have already buried their hopes and dreams, hoping to at least drag their comatose bodies over the finish line to see another Serie A season. As things stand, we’re more likely to see the Derby dellaLanterna in Serie B next term. I don’t think either of these teams deserve to be in the top flight.

Genoa were my pre-season pick of likely relegation fodder, as they reminded me too much of Palermo. For the last two terms they have stuttered to safety, missing out on the drop by a handful of points, chopping and changing Coaches at the whim of their brazenly outspoken President. Sound familiar? Palermo risked it twice before finally plummeting into Serie B, so it may well be Genoa’s turn. It would be harsh on the fans of Italy’s oldest club, but there have been too many near misses to keep escaping their fate.

Hiring Fabio Liverani was a bizarre move from the start. With no senior management experience at all and only two years working with the younger element of the Genoa academy, he was always going to be a lamb to the slaughter with EnricoPreziosi. Much like GennaroGattuso at Palermo with MaurizioZamparini, few expected it to last more than a month. And it didn’t.

Every summer Genoa radically revamp their squad with new buys, players coming and going from loans, then there’s no time for the side to gel and the patron loses patience with his Coach. I imagine Preziosi will throw money at the problem yet again in January with another spending spree that will only serve to exacerbate the lack of a team identity.

It will be intriguing if GianPieroGasperini does return to the Grifone. He was the last really successful Coach here from 2006 to 2010, when he was unceremoniously and rather rudely sacked. It was also the last place Gasp felt at home and able to play his preferred 3-4-3 system, because every step beyond Genoa has been an unmitigated disaster. Gasperini lasted four Serie A games at Inter, then had a ludicrous spell at Palermo that saw him hired, fired, re-hired and walk out in the space of six months. Perhaps Preziosi and Gasp can reconcile, having seen the horrible alternatives that lie outside this relationship...

Sampdoria must also be candidates for relegation after the worst start in their Serie A history with two points from six rounds. Genoa at least won the Derby, but the Blucerchiati have looked devoid of ideas, determination or desire throughout the campaign. They should’ve been able to hurt a desperately disappointing Milan, but the finishing, crossing, passing and just about everything else that can lead to a goal were shocking.

It’s easier to feel sorry for Delio Rossi, who has been given a vastly weakened squad this season. They lost Andrea Poli, Sergio Romero, Manuel Icardi, Marcelo Estigarribia, Maxi Lopez and Federico Piovaccari, who I might add is currently banging in goals for Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League. ManoloGabbiadini and Roberto Soriano have great promise, but it’s hard to score goals when there’s absolutely no service. Whatever EnzoMaresca did to annoy Rossi, they should sort it out for the good of the team. He’s no use rotting in the stands when this side desperately lacks creativity.

It’s called the Derby dellaLanterna because of the lighthouse along the port, but right now the football in Genoa is scrambling around in the dark.

It's sad that genoa's football teams are underachieving. I've never rated genoa fc from the start with no heart in the team, like susy said too much change. I feel to have a successful team you need a good spine in the team and genoa don't have it because of their transfer policy. As for sampdoria, I'm a fan of them but their spine got destroyed with bigger clubs buying their best players. I hope they survive, we don't want a team with all that history in serie b.

on the 29th September, 2013 at 6:49pm

eric star fury

In the case of sampdoria they were always going to lose key players after over achieving last season, it hasn't really help that their transfer policy is defeatist. They have done well in keeping Rossi he is quality manager i expect him to be able to steady the ship if samp keep faith in him. As for Genoa this has been coming for a while they have lost a set of key veterans over the last couple of season and haven't replaced them. the transient nature of their squad will prove their undoing.

on the 29th September, 2013 at 10:49am

Calcio Rossco

I had high hopes for genoa this term, they had brought in some quality in Santana and Lodi and Gilardino returned from Bologna. However their main problem is their lack of faith in youth. They have seen Verre, Bolzoni, Paloschi, Destro and Immobile come and go and purchased inferior replacements.

on the 29th September, 2013 at 9:28am

Stef

I actually think that Genoa has by far a better team than Sampdoria. The problem with Genoa is that they keep buying and selling players, every year there are almost eleven new players on the pitch. But they do have a lot of quality in their team, with players like centurion, fetfatzidis, gila, lodi, kucka, antonelli and vrsaljko. Their current squad is also very useful for Gasperini's 3-4-3 formation, with lots of good wingers and midfielders.

on the 29th September, 2013 at 9:11am

Rob Aussie

Liverani must be sacked if there is any hope of Genoa surviving A . It seemed to me there is no system and the team relies on luck with Gila always hoping for free kicks in and outside the box. Their build ups were far too slow to catch Napoli out. However silly errors did cost them the game. From a Napoli fan I hope that Genova do survive A

on the 29th September, 2013 at 8:16am

NIC

susy is correct. the port lighthouse lantern has gone dim. if both clubs continue these bad run of results, then they BOTH should go down to serie b. but...unfortunately now only 3 teams go down and i'm afraid both will not fall together. sassuolo and catania will use up two spots. so only one left for either genoa or sampdoria to join the other two down. it's sad because both clubs have history. but history is not enough. you need results. those results unfortunately aren't coming.

on the 29th September, 2013 at 1:22am

Giorgio

I must say that Susy got the point in this text. Genoese teams are in some very nasty situation, and believe that at least one of two will be in Serie B next term. Preziosi destroying Genoa every season, Doria are in the ditch from elimination from Werder in CL. Awful times in Genoa.

on the 28th September, 2013 at 10:50pm

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